Category: write 31 2017

When I went gluten free in late January, early February, it was a HUGE adjustment for me.

First of all my pantry was not gluten free friendly at ALL.  I had to rebuild my pantry from scratch.

Second of all, my body had to detox from all the gluten I had in my system.

Third of all, I had not done my research when I made that decision.  I went cold turkey so the adjustment was difficult for me.

Speaking of which here are the tips for going gluten free:

1.  Do your research

There are different ways to eat gluten free.  You can avoid foods that contain gluten or eat Paleo which is primarily gluten free.  Maybe the Whole 30 may be the way you should go.  Or you might want start eating whole foods and eliminate any convenience gluten free goodies.

There are many different books that will help you with your research.  Plus there are plenty of websites.

Read up on what foods you should avoid when you are eating gluten free.  It’s not just wheat that you should avoid.

2.  Keep a food diary

Here is the food diary I kept of the first 3 days on my gluten free diet:

1/31/17

Breakfast:  Smoothie – OJ, Greek yogurt, spinach, frozen fruit, coffee
Lunch:  1/2 c. oatmeal, walnuts, local honey, apple pie spice, freeze dried strawberries, unsweetened applesauce, water
Dinner:  McDonald’s bacon ranch salad minus chicken, ranch dressing, small French fries, Sprite
Snack:  blood orange, Garden of Eatin’ blue tortilla chips, apple salsa

2/1/17

Breakfast:  2 Van’s Gluten free apple cinnamon waffles, Milky Way frappe, water
Lunch:  cheesy rice and broccoli, blue chips, blood orange
Dinner:  stir fry beef with mint, olives, Feta cheese and oranges, zucchini and radish salad with homemade dressing
Dessert:  2 sour gummy worms and a piece of chocolate

2/217

Breakfast:  2 Aldi gluten free bread, peanut butter, cheddar cheese stick, mixed fruit cup, coffee, water
Lunch:  cheesy rice and broccoli, blue chips, apple salsa, yogurt with Gluten free granola and freeze dried strawberries, water
Snack:  blood orange
Dinner:  turkey burger made with green chilies, lettuce, peppers, salsa, homemade hash browns, shredded mozzarella cheese, Sonic cherry limeade
Dessert:  piece of chocolate

Not only do you want to keep the food diary, you also need to write about how you are feeling after each meal.  Do you have a headache?  Does your stomach hurt?  Are you satiated?  Did you get hungry soon after eating?

3.  Grocery Shop BEFORE beginning your gluten free adventure

Since I had been ill before I began my gluten free diet, I had not gone shopping for food prior to beginning my journey.  So the first day of eating gluten free was willy nilly.  As a result, I was HUNGRY during most of the day.  I had a stomach ache most of the day.  My body was detoxing from the gluten and I was not feeding it what it needed.

4.  Comparison Shop for Gluten Free Goodies

I am lucky to have 6 different grocery shops that carry gluten free goodies within 10 miles of my house.  Plus a 7th within 20 minutes of my house.

My mom has suggested I start a notebook of where I should get various gluten free goodies so I can get the best deal.

For example, I know I can get Krusteaz gluten free flour blend at Meijers for 50 cents cheaper than at Krogers.  Or that the best deal for almond meal flour is at Sam’s Club.

5.  Be flexible

What do I mean by that?  Going gluten free is going to be difficult because it is not the Standard American Diet.  A lot of foods have some sort of gluten in it.  Allow yourself some breathing room while trying to figure out how this gluten free diet is going to work for you.  I’m at a point where I cannot be flexible.  If I eat anything with gluten, I’ll get a headache because I’ve detoxed off of gluten.  My body does not like what gluten does to it.

However you should not be flexible if you have been diagnosed with Celiac’s disease.  That is a serious disease that needs to be treated as thus.

Join me tomorrow when I give you some more tips on how to go gluten free.

Happy eating,
Traci